Rybakina Wins Australian Open Title, Sabalenka Secures Brisbane International Championship

The 2026 tennis season commenced with the Brisbane International and culminated in the Australian Open. Aryna Sabalenka claimed the Brisbane International title, while Elena Rybakina secured the Australian Open championship, marking her second Grand Slam victory. Both tournaments featured player achievements, new records, and discussions surrounding geopolitical issues.

Brisbane International Overview

The Brisbane International saw the start of the 2026 season for several prominent players.

Madison Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, defeated McCartney Kessler 6-4, 6-3 in the second round in one hour and 26 minutes. Keys commented on the initial nerves of the year's first match, stating she felt she was removing some rust but was pleased with her performance.

"I felt I was removing some rust but was pleased with my performance."

World number one Aryna Sabalenka began her tournament with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Cristina Bucșa in 48 minutes. Sabalenka later defeated Sorana Cîrstea 6-3, 6-3 in a third-round match lasting one hour and 17 minutes, recording 31 winners and converting four of 13 break points.

Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, secured a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Paula Badosa. This was their ninth head-to-head match, and Rybakina secured the win despite Badosa initially leading 2-0 in the first set.

Sabalenka advanced through the tournament, defeating Madison Keys in straight sets in the quarter-finals. She then defeated Karolína Muchová 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinal in one hour and 29 minutes, reversing Muchová's prior 3-1 head-to-head record against her. Against Muchová, Sabalenka won 94% of her first service points in the first set and maintained an 88% success rate across the entire match.

Aryna Sabalenka claimed her second consecutive Brisbane International title by defeating Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-3 in 1 hour and 17 minutes. Sabalenka secured an early break in Kostyuk's opening service game, but Kostyuk broke back to level the first set. Sabalenka then won the first set by breaking Kostyuk's serve again. In the second set, Sabalenka created break opportunities and forced errors from Kostyuk. Sabalenka completed her Brisbane campaign without dropping a set.

Following Sabalenka's victory, she made a gesture of kissing her biceps, which she attributed to an in-joke with her team. This gesture was also linked by some to earlier comments Kostyuk had made about Sabalenka's strength, which Kostyuk later clarified were misconstrued.

The post-match atmosphere included Kostyuk not acknowledging Sabalenka directly. This was attributed to Belarus's role in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Tournament organizers had confirmed no joint photograph of the players would occur. Kostyuk, who has a policy of refusing to shake hands with Russian or Belarusian players, stated in her address to the audience:

"I want to say a few words about Ukraine. I play every day with a pain in my heart. There are thousands of people who are without light and warm water right now, it's -20 degrees outside right now, so it's very, very painful to live this reality every day."

She expressed happiness at the presence of Ukrainian fans and flags and concluded with "Slava Ukraini."

Sabalenka had previously stated in 2023 that no Russian or Belarusian athletes support the war. In Brisbane, she acknowledged Kostyuk's stance, stating:

"It's their position. What can I do? I don't mind that. I don't care about that," adding her focus was on tennis.

Marta Kostyuk, ranked 26th, reached the final after defeating three top-10 ranked opponents: Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva, and Jessica Pegula.

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek experienced consecutive losses at Brisbane, falling to Belinda Bencic 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 and previously to Coco Gauff.

Australian Open 2026

The Australian Open saw Aryna Sabalenka reach the final without dropping a set, while Elena Rybakina also advanced to the final.

Sabalenka, the world number one, progressed through the tournament with straight-set victories. Her initial matches included wins against French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah (6-4, 6-1), Chinese qualifier Zhuoxuan Bai (6-3, 6-1), Anastasia Potapova (7-6(7/4), 7-6(9/7), where Potapova held four set points in the second-set tie-break), and 17th-seeded Victoria Mboko (6-1, 7-6(7/1)). Against Mboko, Sabalenka achieved her 20th consecutive tie-break triumph at a Grand Slam, surpassing Novak Djokovic's Open era record of 19 consecutive wins.

She then defeated 18-year-old American 29th seed Iva Jović in the quarter-finals. Jović, ranked 27th, had not dropped a set herself, defeating seventh seed Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) en route. This was the first professional encounter between Sabalenka and Jović.

Elena Rybakina also advanced to the final without dropping a set, including victories over American Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek. Rybakina is the world number five.

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 in the semi-finals on Rod Laver Arena.

Before the match, an announcement was made to the crowd on Rod Laver Arena stating that there would be no handshake between the players at the match's conclusion. This action by tournament organizers aimed to prevent potential booing, following instances where fans were reportedly unaware of the reasons for no handshakes. Sabalenka and Svitolina also posed separately for photos with the child mascot.

Svitolina has maintained a policy since 2022 of not shaking hands with Russian and Belarusian players while her country remains under conflict. She had previously stated this policy would continue "until Russian troops are out of Ukraine." Sabalenka commented on Svitolina's performance after giving birth and reiterated:

"I'm not supporting war. I don't want my country to be involved in any conflict."

During the match, a hindrance call against Sabalenka for grunting occurred in the fourth game. Sabalenka stated this "really pissed me off" but ultimately "benefited my game." After the match, a verbal utterance by Sabalenka was made, which some viewers on social media platforms interpreted as "f–k you," though the precise phrase or language was unconfirmed. Svitolina, who uses her platform to address the conflict, contributes prize money to support children in Ukraine.

Elena Rybakina secured her second Grand Slam title by defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the Australian Open final. The match was played in three sets.

Rybakina broke Sabalenka's serve in the first game and secured the first set 6-4. Sabalenka won the second set 6-4. In the third set, Sabalenka initially took a 3-0 lead. Rybakina then won five consecutive games, holding serve, breaking Sabalenka, and holding again to level the set at 3-3, eventually taking a 5-4 lead. Rybakina served out the match with an ace to secure the championship.

This victory marked Rybakina's second major title, following her Wimbledon win in 2022. It also avenged her loss to Sabalenka in the 2023 Australian Open final. Rybakina had defeated Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals in November.

Sabalenka, who had won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024, faced her second consecutive loss in an Australian Open final, having been defeated by Madison Keys in 2025. Sabalenka acknowledged regretting losing her 3-0 lead in the final set and stated she was unable to counter Rybakina's aggressive play. Rybakina stated that her ability to:

"Calm myself and focus on each point after being down was key to her comeback."

Rybakina delivered six aces and defended six of eight breakpoint opportunities.

Elena Rybakina, born in Moscow, represents Kazakhstan, having changed allegiance in 2018 for financial support. She trains in Slovakia and Dubai. Her coach, Stefano Vukov, received an on-court trophy, following a previous provisional suspension related to alleged behavior, which was lifted on appeal. Rybakina is known for her powerful serve and composed on-court demeanor. The win elevated her to the No. 3 position in the world rankings.

Sabalenka has reached the final in five of the last six major tournaments and holds a 4-4 record in major finals. She remains the world's No. 1 ranked player.